


He Was No Noah Wyle

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-09
Updated: 2014-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-20 11:16:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2426762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He would never forgive himself if he was too late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Was No Noah Wyle

**Author's Note:**

> written for the prompt **chicken soup**.

“Emily?Hey, Em?”

 

She turned around, looking at him with blurry eyes.Then she groaned.

 

“Go away, let me die in peace.”

 

“I'm sure it’s not that bad.” Hotch said.He did not want to mention that she looked awful.She was still beautiful but quite ill.Her skin was pink from the flush and the back of his hand went immediately to her forehead.

 

“You're burning up.” 

 

“I'm dying.”

 

“No seriously, you're burning up.Do you have a thermometer?”

 

She pointed absently to the bathroom before sliding back under the covers.Hotch walked through the bedroom, the light leaving as the sun went down.He closed the bathroom door before turning on the harsh lights, knowing they would bother her.For just a second he paused before opening her medicine cabinet.They had not reached that level of their relationship, actually he just hadn't had enough alone time to rifle through.

 

If she kept a vibrator in there, Hotch didn’t think she would tell him to have a look.Taking a deep breath, he pulled it open.Just as he suspected…perfectly normal.Headache medicine, birth control pills (good to see those), face creams, and a few other things that would be found in any medicine cabinet.He grabbed the NyQuil and the thermometer before closing it again.Turning off the light, Hotch went back into the bedroom.

 

“I need to turn on the lamp and you have to turn over.” He said, sitting himself on the side of her bed.

 

“I can't.” Emily groaned.

 

Hotch turned on the lamp and helped her move onto her back.He was a little worried.She was way beyond the chicken soup he picked up from her favorite Chinese restaurant.She should have called him during the day if she felt this bad.It was not a good idea for her to be alone like this.

 

“Did you eat anything today?” he asked.“Drink anything?”

 

“I stayed in bed.”

 

“You could be dehydrated.Em, are you telling me you didn’t drink anything.”

 

“I had some water, I think.”

 

Hotch tried not to get angry as he slipped the thermometer under her tongue.He went back into the bathroom, rinsing out the cup on the sink and filling it with cold water.He heard the beeping as he came back to the bed.

 

“Drink this,” he instructed, pulling out the thermometer.“102.2 is not good.We might have to go to the hospital.”

 

“No.” she shook her head vigorously and then stopped.That had been a very bad idea.Now she was dizzy.“Hotch…”

 

“Its OK.” she was not sweating and that was a concern.“Drink every drop of that.I'm going to get you some clothes.”

 

“I'm wearing pajamas.” She replied.

 

“Right, it'll have to do.I’m going to put your shoes on.” Hotch threw the covers back and helped her into her sneakers.

 

Emily tried her best to drink the water but she could barely hold up the glass.Hotch pulled her out of bed, all of her weight on him.

 

“I'm too heavy.”

 

“Stop talking; stop complaining and don’t worry.I am taking you to the hospital and you will not fight me on it.Put all of your weight on me if you have to…we’re getting out of here.”

 

It was a chilly night in early December so Hotch threw his coat around Emily before sitting her in a living room chair.He had the condo keys but grabbed her purse from the counter.He would need things in her wallet when they got to GW.The little grey Prada bag went perfectly with his suit and Hotch couldn’t help the snicker as he threw it over his shoulder and once again picked Emily up.She wasn’t complaining, which was good but he was afraid she was actually unconscious.Hating to do it, he slapped her face.

 

“Wha…hey!”

 

“Just making sure you'll still with me.What’s my name?”

 

“Hotch.”

 

“Whole name please?”

 

“Leave me alone.” She moaned.

 

“Please Emily, what's my whole name?”

 

“Aaron Michael Hotchner, Esq.”

 

“Thank you.I’m taking you to the hospital.”

 

“I know.Thank you.”

 

She didn’t have to thank him.She had to be alright.Hotch’s heart was beating wildly as he thought about not making it on time.Why were all the worse case scenarios running through his head…Emily was going to be fine?He just kept thinking of articles he would read when people died of something perfectly preventable because no one got them to the hospital on time.How could he have been so careless as to just leave her alone when she was ill?How could he have pushed papers all day and returned phone calls while his girlfriend curled into a bed and didn’t drink anything?He would never forgive himself if he was too late.

 

***

 

His neck hurt.His back and shoulders did too, but Hotch ignored the pain.They did not make the chairs for comfort but he would sit there all night if he had to.He had to carry her into the ER; she didn’t even have the strength to drag herself.They took her back immediately.She was dehydrated, her temperature was high and Emily howled in pain when they tried to give her an examination.Everything hurt; the doctor said it was from the fever and lack of fluids.She reached out for Hotch and he held her hand.

 

Seeing her cry was agony for him.They gave her something to ease her pain…she could hardly swallow the medicine.After about 30 minutes she was relaxed enough to sleep.That had been two hours ago.Right now, fluid bag number two was slowly dripping into her veins and he was making a phone call.Hotch listened to the phone ring and finally someone answered.

 

“Jennifer Jarreau.”

 

“JJ, its Hotch, I'm at the hospital with Emily.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“She has the flu, they think.When I went to her place to check on her she was dehydrated and her fever was high.I brought chicken soup but she was past that stage.”

 

“Is she going to be alright?” JJ asked.

 

“They’ll know as soon as they get more fluids in her.I'm going to be here for the duration so I don’t know what time you'll see me tomorrow.”

 

“Of course.They're not admitting her, are they?”

 

“Not if this works.We’re at GW and I can’t use my cell phone.If you need me just page me.”

 

“I'm not going to page you tonight.” She said.“Whatever it is, it can wait until morning.”

 

“Yeah, OK.Goodnight JJ.”

 

“Goodnight; give Emily my love.”

 

“Will do.” Hotch hung up the phone and slid back into the uncomfortable chair.The room was dark and the curtain pulled in front of the sliding glass door.It made him drowsy but he would not sleep until he knew she was on the other side of this.Hotch leaned back, folding his arms as his mind read _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer_.He knew so many books by heart, but that was one of his favorites.He would get lost in Mark Twain until the doctors returned with the blood results.

 

***

 

“Aaron?”

 

He opened his eyes and sat up.She was looking at him, her eyes less blurry than they were when he showed up at her condo earlier that evening.Hotch gave her a smile.

 

“You really had me worried.” He said.

 

“I'm sorry.”

 

“Don’t apologize to me.” he moved the chair closer and took her hand.“I should apologize…I should have at least called to check up on you.You can use this against me later when I do something else stupid.”

 

“I don’t play that game.” Emily replied.“Anyway, I'm going to be OK?”

 

“Yeah.The doctors think it’s the flu, or some variation thereof.They said I got you here in good time; you were dehydrated and in a lot of pain.”

 

“Did one of them look like Noah Wyle or was I hallucinating?”

 

“I look more like Noah Wyle than your doctor did.She was a woman.”

 

“Oh.” Emily smiled.“I should have called you.”

 

“Shh, don’t worry about it.”

 

“Are they going to keep me?”

 

“Probably not.They will give you a prescription and send you home once you're hydrated.I lied and said I was your brother so they would tell me what the results of your blood test were.You're fine.”

 

Her brother, not her husband.Emily’s mind was too tired to register much but she filed that little nugget away.Her brother, not her husband.

 

“How long have I been out?”

 

“About four hours.I am expecting someone to come back any minute.They were letting you rest; they gave you three fluid bags.”

 

Emily looked down at the IV in her hand.She closed her eyes again and felt herself dozing.

 

“You'll be here when I wake up?” she whispered.

 

“Of course.Just rest, I am not going anywhere until you are better.I made that mistake once but I won't make it again.I promise.”

 

A smile formed on her lips as she slipped back into the darkness of peaceful sleep.Hotch leaned to kiss her hand, thanking whoever was listening that she was alright.It would be quite awhile before he stopped watching over her, even after she was well.In the pit of his stomach, Hotch felt as if he had come close to losing her whether it was true or not.That was never going to happen again.

 

***

  



End file.
